Automatic feeding mechanism



M y F. x. MALOCSAY AUTOMATIC FEEDING MECHANISM Filgd May .21, 1925 2. Sheets-Sheet 1 I vwentoz May 10. 1927.

3 1,627,793' F. x. MALOCSAY AUTOMATIC FEEDING MECHANISM Filed May 21, 1923, I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 further operations thereon in various other present type of machine.

Patented May 10, 1927.

UNITED STATES 1,527,793 PATENT oFric z.

FRANCIS X. MALOCSAY, OF UPPER SADDLE RIVER, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T0 INTER- NATIONAL IBANDING- MACHINE COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

AUTOMATIC FEEDING MECHANISM.

Application filed May.21, 1923. Serial No. 640,465.

This invention relates to automatic feeding mechanisms adapted to be used in machines which feed a plurality of articles one at a time to feeding positions preparatory to parts of the machine to which they may be transferred manually or automatically. More particularly this invention relates to cigar feeding means adapted to feed a plurality of cigars one at a time to feeding position preparatory to being transferred by automatic means to banding position for operation thereon by a banding machine.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide means which will automatically and efficiently feed cigars to the feeding position more accurately and with greater speed and certainty than is possible by hand or by the It is a further object of my invention to provide suitable gaging means in conjunction with the feeding means to ensure proper alinement of the cigars in feeding position.

It is a further object of this invention to provide means which will ensure engagement of the a cigar to be' moved to feeding position and to ensure movement of a cigar to full feedposition without possibility of lag, which would mean displacement from the proper feeding position.

It is a further object of this inventionto provide means for moving a plurality of cigars to feeding position in the same relative order which said cigars occupied while packed in the cigar box, without twisting-or in any other manner disarranging or displacing said cigars from their relative position.

Other objects and advantages will appear as the nature of the improvements is better understood, the invention consisting .substantially in the novel arrangement and co relation of instrumentalities herein fully described and illustrated in the accompanydrawings considered together or separately and then finally pointed out and specifically defined and indicated in the appended claims.

The disclosure made the basis of exemplifying the present inventive concept suggests a practical embodiment thereof, but the invention is not to be restricted to the exact details of this disclosure, and the lat ter, therefore, is to be understood from an on 'ing means with the nextillustrative, rather than a restrictive, standpoint.

The inventive idea involved is capable of receiving a variety of mechanical expressions, one of which, for the purposes of illustration, is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a machine embodying my invention, parts of the machine being broken avvay, and other parts not necessary to a description'of my invention having been removed; and

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the device shown in Fig. l but with the top plate removed to uncover the underlying structure.

Referring to the drawings, a layer of cigars 1 is adapted to be discharged from. a hopper upon a table 2 in such manner that the cigars occupy the same relative positions as in the cigar box when packed.

The feeding mechanism comprises two or more bars 8 which are given an up-and-down movement, compounded with a left-to-right movement. The movement is therefore e.- s'entially elliptic. The bars are free to operate through longitudinal slots cut in the table top. In their upward and right movement, the bars are raised above table 2 to lift the row of cigars off the table and move them to the right. In their lower and left movement they deposit the cigars on the table and move beneath the table out of contact with the cigars.

' Each bar 3 is provided with a plurality of downwardly extending forks 30 adapted to straddle a shaft 5 at one end of an arm 6 of hell crank 7 pivoted in a hanger 8 fixed to the main fixed frame of the machine. Alsov pivoted on the axis of the shaft 5 is a gage finger 9 adapted in its extreme movement to the right to gage the cigar infeeding position.

A plurality of gage fingers 9 are shown (see Fig. 2), and in the following description it will be understood that whenever gage finger is mentioned, a plurality of fingers may be implied. The gage finger 9 is also given an up-and-down movement,

compounded with a right-to-left movement. The gage finger is caused to lag somewhat behind the downward movement of the bars (by mechanism to be hereinafter described) to hold the first cigar in feeding position, to be operated uponwhile in said position, or until saidcigar can be gripped by mecha- Tju nism (not shown) adapted to transfer it to a second or banding position. Then the gage finger is lowered out of contact with the cigar in feeding position, and the left movement thereof is substantially the same as that of the bars. F or the purpose of giving the bars their up-and-down movement, there are provided bell cranks 12, pivoted on the fixed frame at 43, having. rollers 42 at the end of one arm and having their other arms connected by link 13 to effect parallel. movement of the hell cranks. The bars 3 are each provided with a downwardly extending ribBO adapted to enter the space between the flanges of rollers 12 for guiding said bars. The bell cranks are rotated by a link 1% connected to the pivot of one of them (here shown as the left bell crank), the said link being connected to a link 15 attached a; to to hell crank 13 pivoted at 17 on the main frame of the machine and operated from the cam 19 at the extreme right engaging a roller-2O at the end of arm 21 of said bell crank. The forward and rearward movement of said bars, which is compound ed with the up-and-down movement, is effected by means of the bell crank 7, one arm 6 of which engages in the forks 30 on the undersideof the bars, said bell crank 7' having a roller 25 in engagement with a cam 26 carried by a hub 27 fixed to the. ezitreme left end of an operating shaft 29 to be reciprocated therewith. During the movement of the cam to the right, the bars 3 drop below the table through the cam 19 and its connecting mechanism. The cam. eventually moves so far to the right that gage finger 9 engages the row of cigars on the table which have sufhcient resistance to. prevent further The left movement. During the movement of cam 26 to the left, bell crank 7 isrotated to move the bars 3 and finger 9 to the right. Not only the bars, therefore, but the finger 9 gets its right and left movement from cam 26 operated by the main shaft 29. Fingel 9, however, is only pivotally connected to one arm of bell crank 7 and is given a separate, independent np-and-down move ment, so that when the bars go down todeposit the cigars on. the table top 2, the gage finger 9 still remains upward until some gripping member is caused to. engage the cigar in feeding position. The gage finger 9 is then drawn downwardly to disengage said first cigar and is moved. rearwardly by bell crank 7 together with bars 3, and is later moved upwardly to engage the second cigar after having been drawn back somewhat less than one cigar width. The movement to the left continues so that gage 9 probably moves the row of cigars to the left a trifle as described, thusiensuring engagement with the next cigar. The movement to the right is. then accomplished as before by the bell crank 7, the bars being in elevated position through the. operation of links 14, 15. To give the gage finger 9. a separate up and down movement, there is. pivoted thereto a 15, intermediate the length thereof, a link 32, whose other end has a universal connection. 33, to a hub 34 which is operated by bell crank 85. in engagement with cam 36 on the main driving. shaft 4Q.

Shaft 29 maybe fixed at its right end in a hub. 47 having rollers 46 whereby said shaft and the mechanism carried thereby are supported upon rails 18 on the main frame. of the machine.

The. reciprocation of cam 2.6 may be accomplished; by connecting. to the main shaft 29. a link 6.0. having its other end pivotally connected to a. lever 50, pivotedat 51 at the rear of the machine, said lever being adapted to be operated by a cam 52, mounted upon a shaft 53. The cam 19 .which,e1f,ects the up-arid-down movement of bars 3 may be mounted upon the same shaft 53 as cam, Shaft 53 may be suitably geared to.

52 shaft tOand the latter driven from any suitablesourceof power, such as a motor, either directly or through belts. and pulleys, and.

by suitably positioning and shaping the cams 19, 36 and 52, the correct timing may be obtained. That is to say, cam 19 will be so positioned relative to cam 52 that every time the bars 3. move toward the right, they will also be elevated, and every time theymove toward the left they will be depressed. The cam .86: is so positioned that finger 9' will be. depressed a. certain predetermined length oftime after bars 3 and.

will: be elevated slightly in, advance or substantially simultaneously with said; bars.

The operation of the feeding mechanism, although apparent from, the. foregoing description, may be described as follows:

Assumelthe pants. to be as shown in Fig.

1. A cigar 1 1.8. been deposited in feeding position and the bars 3 are moving clownwardly. A. predetermined time thereafter, finger 9; begins to move downwardly until it is below the table top. The bars and finger- 9 now movebeneath the table to the left and as they approach the limit of their move ment toward: the left, the bars and finger. are elevated, the finger, 9 coming up a short distance. in front of the. next cigar to be fed to feeding position. The finger, therefore,

comes up before the bars and finger have moved the width of one cigar toward; the

l L (l left and the upward movement of the finger may be somewhat in'aldvance of the bars. The total stroke to the left'somewhat exceeds one cigar width, as hereinbefore described, to ensure the engagement of the finger with the row of cigars. The bars are then moved upwardly to lift the row of cigars out of engagement with the'table, the

finger having previously been raised, and v are moved to the right to feeding position. The bars then move downwardly to deposit the cigars,as shown in Fig. 1, and the operation is repeated. Since the cams-are rotated continuously, this feeding operation will also be continuous and automatic.

Suitable springs 70, 71, 72 may be provided for holding bell cranks 7, and 16 and link 50 in effective engagement with their respective cams. I 1

Throughout this Specification I have" described my invention in connection with'a cigar feeding and banding mechanism, but I wish it distinctly understood that this was solely for illustrative purposes and to describe one practical embodiment of my invention, and that the invention herein is capable of a wide variety of uses on other articles. Thus, for example, the device can be utilized in connection with candy wrapping or banding machinery or generally with any type of wrapping or banding machine wherein a plurality of similar articles are fed to a banding or wrapping machine and then discharged.

The subject matter of this application is disclosed in my co-pending application, Serial No. 640,463, filed May 21, 1923.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statute, I have described the principle of my invention together with the apparatus which I now consider to represent a practical embodiment thereof, but I desire it understood that my invention is not confined to the particular form of apparatus herein shown and described, the same being merely illustrative, and that the invention can be carried out in other ways without departing from the spirit of my invention, and, therefore, I claim broadly the right to employ all equivalent instrumentalities coming within the scope of the appended claims, and by means of which objects of my invention are attained, and the new results assomplished, as herein set forth, as it is obvious that the particular embodiments herein shown and described are only some of many that can be employed to attain these objects and accomplish these results.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a device of the character described, means for feeding a row of articles one at a time to feeding position, comprising feeding members and a gage member, and means for impartinga substantially elliptic movement to said members.

2. In a device of the character described, means for feeding'a row of articles one at a time to feeding position, comprising feeding members and a gage member, and means for imparting a combined vertical and horizontal reciprocatory movement thereto.

In a device of the character described, means for feeding a row of articles one at a time to feeding position, comprising feeding members and a. gage member, means for reciprocating said members toward and away from feeding position, and means for reciprocating said, members vertically.

' 4;. In a device of the character described, means for feeding a row of articles one at a time to feeding position, comprising feeding members and a gage member, means for reciprocating said members simultaneously reciprocating said members vertically.

reciprocating said members toward and.

away from feeding position, and means for raising said members above said surface when moving toward feeding position and for lowering said members below said surface when moving away from feeding position.

7 In a device of the character described, a supporting surface, means for feeding articles to feeding position comprising a feed member and a gage member, means for reciprocating said members toward and away from feeding position, means for raising said members above said surface when moving toward feeding position and for lowering said members below said surface when moving away from feeding position, and means for causing said gage member to lag behind said feedmember in the downward movement.

8. In a device of the character described, means for feeding articles to feeding position, means for gaging said articles in feeding position, a common means for reciproeating said first two means toward and away from feeding position, and means for simultaneously reciprocating said first named means vertically.

.9. In a device of the character described, means for feeding articles to feeding position, means for gaging said articles in feedtoward and away from feeding position, and means for lit) her being. adapted to engage ing position, a=c0mm0n.nieans for reciprocating said first two meanstoward andaway from feeding position, and ndependent means for each ofsai-dfirsttwo-means.ior

.means for imparting a substantially elliptic movement to said members .to raise said members above said surface when moving toward feeding position and lower said members below said surface when moving away from feeding position, said gage memsai d articles near the end of its 'movcment away from feeding position.

11. In a device vof the character described, a supporting surface, means for =feeding articles to feeding position comprising a feed member and a gage member,.means for reciprocating said members toward and away from feeding position,.means .for raismeans for ,feeding lowering said members below said surface When .nrov ng. away from 'feedmgp0s1t10n,

uand means for causing. said .gage. member. to lag behind said .feed member in the downwardmovement and for causing said .gage membertobe raised 1n advance of said feed member.

.12.. In. device of ithencharacter. described, an art cleito a predeterm ned pos tion comprising ffeed ng. members and .a. gage member, and means forfimparting ,asiibstantiallyelliptic movement to said members.

3. Inadevrce oi: the character described,

means for feeding. an ai'ticle to, a predetermined :POSllllOll compr sing. ieedmg members and a gage member, and meansfor impart- 7 ing a combined vertical and horizontal re- .eiprocatory movement thereto.- 'This specification signedthis "7th day of May, 1923.

FRANCIS iMALOGSAY. 

